


The Thought Of You

by peraltiagoisland



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, The primary pairing for this fic is peraltiago, because i am trash, but you will get dianetti too!!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-15
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-05 09:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10303076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peraltiagoisland/pseuds/peraltiagoisland
Summary: Soulmate AU - In which you can hear your soulmate's thoughts.It's in their voice too. You don't hear every single thought of course, and the thoughts stop once you meet your soulmate.Five times Jake and Amy hear each other's thoughts, and the one time they never have to ever again.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to @startofthemoment! because she literally presented this soulmate AU to me and I was like OMG and I wrote it so... lmao
> 
> she wrote an AMAZING soulmate AU where your conscience has the voice and moral compass of your soulmate, it's the best and erica is awesome- what are you doing if you haven't read it yet tbh
> 
> Also Jake is 2 years older than Amy in this? Not important but I'm putting it out there
> 
> AND FINAL THING- I'm sorry for all the soulmate exposition in the beginning 
> 
> PLEASE TELL ME WHAT U THINK

_You can hear some of your soulmate's thoughts. They pop into your head, just as your soulmate has these thoughts, at random points throughout your life until you finally meet them._

_Some people hear their soulmate on a daily basis, some hear from their soulmates once a month, and some only get a fleeting thought from their soulmate once every decade._

_It differs from person to person, basically. Scientists have researched this for years, and have come up with very few consistent patterns regarding how this soulmate telepathy works._

_There is no specific age range in which everyone first hears their soulmate. Sure you have people first hearing their soulmate's thoughts as children, teenagers. You also have people hearing their soulmate's thoughts as adults. There are a couple of tragic stories out there in which people go through their entire lives hearing nothing from their soulmates, never meeting their soulmates, and then hearing only their soulmate's dying thoughts. There are also unlucky people who accidentally meet their soulmate as babies, young children, and even adults, before hearing any of their soulmate's thoughts for the first time. These people go on having to navigate love lives without ever knowing for sure that they'll end up with their soulmate._

_So yeah, hearing your soulmate's thoughts is tricky business. And it only gets more complicated._

_Whilst some people have the luxury of engaging in telepathic conversations with their soulmates, there has been research done to show that hearing one's soulmate's thoughts can turn out rather one-sided at times._

_Some soulmate couples have revealed in interviews that whilst one heard random thoughts from the other on a constant basis, the other person had heard less than five trains of thought in total before meeting._

_So what sort of thoughts would you most likely hear from your soulmate? Again, they tend to be random, but it has been observed that intense thoughts, or thoughts during a difficult point in one's life, are very often heard by your soulmate. Then again, people have reported hearing their soulmate's thoughts on making a sandwich, listing out groceries to buy, and even solving arithmetic problems._

_In the midst of all this chaos however, scientists have complied a list of rules surrounding thoughts you couldn't hear from your soulmate:_

_1) Your Soulmate's Name_  
_2) Physical Descriptions Of Your Soulmate_  
 _3) Your Soulmate's Location  
4) Basically Any Other Information That Would Help One Find Their Soulmate Excluding Identification Through The Sound Of Their Voice_

_Although some have found loopholes, people that tried to communicate personal information to their soulmates all ended up sending mere radio silence. This was especially a struggle for soulmates that had similar sounding voices (thereby making it hard for them to realize they were even hearing thoughts not belonging to them) or generic, indistinguishable voices._

_In short, finding your soulmate is a struggle when all you have to go on is the sound of their voice, which you may not even be guaranteed to hear often enough to identify. But then again there are those whose fondest memories are hearing their soulmate's thoughts for the first time, falling in love with the sound of their voice, and there are also those who only got through some of their greatest struggles because their soulmate had heard and felt their pain, and had sent comforting thoughts that gave them hope for the tomorrows to come._

 

* * *

 

When Amy Santiago first hears her soulmate's thoughts, she's five years old and playing in the sandpit with her brothers on the front yard. Just as she makes the finishing touches to her perfect sandcastle, she hears it.

Her head is filled with the agony of a young boy, screaming, crying in sorrow. Suddenly, Amy's very dizzy and confused. She runs back home and goes straight to the kitchen in tears, her mother immediately turning around to wrap Amy in a comforting hug.

"Mija, why are you crying?" Ever the observant mother, she knew Amy's pain was not injury-related. "Did your brothers upset you?"

Amy shakes her head, trying to calm herself down in order not to worry her mother any further. "Someone's yelling in my head. I think he's a boy. He's very sad."

Amy's mother understood and relief flooded her face. Seeing this made Amy relax too. Her mother knew what to do, she would help make things better.

"Amy, what you're hearing is your soulmate."

Amy slowly rubs away her tears as she processes this, her face filling with confusion. "Soul... mate?"

Amy's mother chuckles. "Yes. Your one true love. You're hearing his thoughts right now. For the first time, I'm guessing."

"Why is he so sad?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, love. Listen carefully and maybe he'll tell you."

Amy concentrates, and though she hears so many things all at once, she manages to understand everything.

"His daddy left. He thinks it's because of him, he keeps thinking that it's because his daddy doesn't love him anymore!" Amy bursts into tears again, upset that her soulmate felt this hurt, this unloved. His pain flowed through her and all she wanted to do was take it away, not wanting him to suffer any longer.

"Hush, dear, it's alright." Her mother hugs her tighter, letting Amy cry into her shoulder.

"How do I help him feel better? I don't want him to be sad anymore. He keeps screaming, just like abuela did when abuelo died." Amy wonders to herself if it were possible to take her soulmate's pain away by suffering in his place.

Amy's mother feels heartened by this. Her daughter must be in a great deal of pain- hearing someone in so much turmoil that their thoughts have reduced to tormented screams must be a traumatizing thing to have to endure, especially at a tender age of five.

"Mimi, do you want to sleep? Mamá can make all the screaming go away." Knowing full well that no one could hear their soulmate's thoughts when unconscious, she thought it best to slip Amy some cough syrup. She had no idea how long the thought connection between her daughter and her soulmate would last, and she would rather not let her daughter suffer any longer.

Amy shakes her head immediately. "No! I don't want to run, I want to help. I want him to be okay again. Mamá, you always said to help those in need."

Amy's mother feels touched by her daughter's selflessness. It was apparent that the girl was not bothered by how her soulmate's pain affected her; she only cared about her soulmate's wellbeing.

"Close your eyes, mija. Try telling your soulmate anything you can think of to make him feel better. Tell him he is loved, that it isn't his fault. Maybe he'll be able to hear you."

And Amy does just that. She shuts her eyes, and sends multitudes of comforting and consoling thoughts, her heart praying he hears her.

All of a sudden, Amy hears silence. She jerks in place and her heart drops, afraid she's lost her soulmate. Amy's mother strokes her back, well aware of this possibility.

But then Amy hears a voice. It's the first time she truly hears her soulmate speak; because sobs, screams, and incoherent ramblings aren't much to go on.

_"Who... are you?"_

He sounds choked, but at least he's no longer crying.

 _"I'm your soulmate,"_ Amy explains, because she figures he has to be just as confused as she is over this whole soulmate thing.

 _"Really?"_ The joy in his voice indicates he has some idea of what Amy had just learnt about. _"Thank you for helping me."_

 _"I hope I made you feel better."_ She thinks, because now that he's stopped crying Amy feels very at peace.

_"You did. You have a really pretty voice- I'm so glad you're my soulmate."_

This makes her blush, but then Amy hears that radio silence again, except this time it feels permanent, and Amy panics.

"No!"

"What happened?" Amy's mother tries desperately to calm her down, but it doesn't work out too well because Amy's crying again.

"He's gone! I can't hear him anymore!"

Amy's mother gently hushes her in an attempt to stop her from getting too hysterical. "Don't worry Mimi, this happens. You'll hear him again another day. Did you help him to stop crying?"

Amy nods. "I told him I was his soulmate too. He said thank you to me and that... I have a pretty voice."

Amy's mother takes this chance to tease her daughter who looks very shy about this fact. "Ah, see! He's already smitten with our Amy! Wait till he sees how beautiful you are too."

"No he's not Mami! Stop it! I'm going back outside-" She tries to make a run for it, yet ends up bursting into fits of giggles as her mother tickles her in protest.

But she's not wrong about Amy's soulmate being smitten with her already.

Jake's first thought after the connection breaks is 'I love you'. In some ways, he's grateful his soulmate could no longer hear him because what idiot told their soulmate they loved them only after the first time they heard each other's thoughts? But as pathetic as it felt it was true. Jake fell in love with his soulmate the first time he heard her gentle voice desperately say the most comforting of words. When he was at the lowest point in his life, she dragged him out and was a source of hope.

From that day on, Jake yearned to meet his soulmate, and woke up each day wishing to hear his soulmate's thoughts.

And so did Amy.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahhhhh thanks for all the kudos and comments so far!! I hope you all like this!!!!

"I heard my soulmate yesterday!" Jake yells excitedly at Gina when he opens the door for her the morning after his dad leaves, possibly forever. Hand still raised from knocking on his front door, Gina's quite taken aback by his... happiness. Her mother had warned her to tread lightly after finding out what happened to Jake, and she was ready to put on her most comforting smile and cradle a hysterical Jake as he sobbed into her shoulder, messing up the fabric of whatever shirt she was wearing with snot. In fact, Gina had gone out of her way to wear an ugly sweater she wanted to get rid of that had been gifted to her by her grandmother last year.

"Uh... what?" She walks by Jake and steps into the living room with a very perplexed look.

"You know, your soulmate! The one you're supposed to fall in love with forever and ever and live happily ever after with them?" Jake drones on with the same level of enthusiasm, but his explanation is completely unnecessary since Jake and Gina have discussed soulmates multiple times.

"Jakey, of course I know what a soulmate is, you dolt. We talk about this all the time! What I need are  _details_. What happened? And aren't you sad that your..." She trails off because mentioning what happened directly was probably not 'treading lightly' around Jake. She waits for him to fill in the blanks himself, if he's ready.

"Yeah, my dad left and that sucks and all, but because my dad left- I got super sad yesterday!"

Gina's eyebrows scrunch together. "Uhh... Say what now? I'm still not getting this."

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to explain. See- my soulmate heard me being all sad and stuff in my head! She heard my thoughts! And then she got all worried and said all these nice things to make me feel better..." He trails off with a shy smile, and this is when Gina starts getting excited.

"Dude, no way! I can't believe you got such a good meet cute with your- wait, is it technically a _meet_ cute of you haven't met? Never mind. Ugh, I'm so jealous! I wanna hear my soulmate's thoughts too!"

"I mean- what if my dad leaving was a good thing? He could always come back, but me hearing my soulmate's thoughts for the first time is super important, right? Plus- she has such a pretty voice and she cared about me! Gina, I think I'm in love with my soulmate."

Gina rolls her eyes. "Duh! You're _supposed_ to be in love with your soulmate at some point, that's how this works! I still can't believe the first thoughts you heard from your soulmate were such nice things. Blake Matthews said the first thoughts he heard from his soulmate were about how she was deciding whether to pick up a chocolate bar she dropped on the floor or not."

Jake gasps at this. "Why didn't she just use the three second rule?"

Gina's eyes widen in agreement. "I know, right? I'd force God himself to rein- what was that word? Ah, whatever. I'd force God to give me a new soulmate by killing me and then giving me a new life. If those were the first thoughts I heard from my soulmate."

Jake smirks. "I guess I'm really lucky then. I bet my soulmate's beautiful! Just like that beautiful voice she has."

Gina lightly stomps her feet indignantly, causing her light up shoes to light up. "Ugh! Not fair! I wish my dad left home too so my soulmate would talk to me!"

Jake raises an eyebrow. "Didn't your dad leave when you were a baby?"

Gina groans. "Yeah! I mean, if he was gonna be an asshole, why couldn't he wait until I was old enough to be _sad_ about it?"

Jake grins at Gina's use of the forbidden A-word. "I'm sure you'll hear your soulmate's thoughts one day, Gina. And I hope I hear my soulmate again soon. I miss her already."

 

* * *

 

Every day when Jake woke up from the day he first heard his soulmate's thoughts, he prayed that she'd hear him again. He greeted her good morning and wished her a good night when getting up and going to bed respectively. He'd think about her during school, see something cool and tell her about it in his head. He'd think of a funny joke and wonder if she'd laugh at it too.

Needless to say, he was kind of obsessed with her. He wondered if his soulmate heard any of his thoughts, because he couldn't hear any of her's. Not until two years after their first thought encounter did Jake hear his soulmate's thoughts again.

He had just finished playing a rather fulfilling game of tag, and had caught everyone in record timing. It was the last ten minutes of recess, and the other kids were discussing who would be 'It' for the next round when he hears her.

_"Ahhhhh! Stupid Mrs Whitley! Stupid!"_

He nearly yelps in joy because it's her. It finally is her, and he's finally hearing her voice again. She's basically throwing a tantrum in her head but Jake still finds it adorable. Without a word to any of the other kids, Jake runs off to some quiet corner so he can communicate with his soulmate in peace.

 _"It's you! I haven't heard from you in years!"_ Jake hopes she hears him, desperately hopes she hears him.

There's a sudden lull in her temper tantrum.

 _"Are you my soulmate?"_ She asks.

 _"Yes!"_ Jake thinks excitedly. _"Wait, do you not remember me?"_

_"No, no, of course I do! I'm just shocked, that's all. It's been... what? Two years?"_

Jake groans. _"Tell me about it. I missed you so much."_

_"You... you missed me?"_

Jake feels very embarrassed and worries that he's come off as too creepy or something. When in actual fact he's just made his soulmate blush a deep red.

_"I mean... who doesn't want to talk to their soulmate?"_

_"I missed you too."_

This makes Jake nearly die inside. He's a lovestruck fool, but that's okay.

 _"Cool. Cool cool cool cool cool."_ He tries not to panic because she can literally hear his thoughts so he ends up changing the subject.

_"Anyway, why were you so angry? Don't get me wrong, it was really cute and funny to hear after I destroyed everyone in a game of tag just now- not the point, sorry. Who's Mrs Whitley?"_

His soulmate groans and somehow even that's adorable. _"My stupid teacher who just told me I failed recess."_

Jake's confused. _"You can fail recess? I thought that was the one thing they couldn't fail you. It's why I love recess so much."_

_"Exactly! 'Teachers need a break too, Amy.' Bleugh! She's so annoying. I can't believe this! I've never failed anything in school until now, this sucks!"_

Jake's shocked at this revelation. _"You've never failed anything? Tests? Exams? Homework?"_

_"No! That's why I'm so mad!"_

_"Math? Book reports? Gym? Nothing?! Wait, how did you even fail recess?"_

_"I refused to leave class because I wanted her to mark the additional math worksheets she gave us yesterday. We were supposed to do them over the weekend but I did it all when I got home. She got angry and gave me this slip of paper saying I had failed recess. Big fat 'F' and all too, to make things worse. And now I have to get my parents to sign it and return it to her tomorrow."_

Wanting to do math, Jake didn't get. Not going for recess because he wanted a teacher to mark homework that wasn't even due yet, Jake also didn't get. But mean evil teachers that were out to ruin your life and get you in trouble with your parents? That was where Jake Peralta _lived_ , baby.

 _"She sounds like an evil witch. Maybe she didn't want to stay with you because her cauldron was boiling over."_ This makes his soulmate laugh, which makes memorizing that word they just learned for the spelling test all the more worth it.

Because right there in the corner of the playing field during the last few minutes of recess, Jake discovers that his soulmate's laugh is one of the most precious things on earth. If he was enamored with her voice before, now he's completely overwhelmed by the sweetness of his soulmate's laughter.

 _"You're so funny,"_ she tells him, and Jake's heart is further filled with a warmth that spreads throughout his chest. Her simple words remind him of how far he's already fallen for her. It's ridiculous but he doesn't care.

 _"Thank you,"_ he says, and then he hears the school bell ring, signaling the end of recess. " _I'm glad I made you feel better, just like you did for me last time."_

His soulmate sighs. _"Oh no, I have to go out and play with the other kids now."_

 _"You don't like the other kids?"_ Jake asks.

 _"Yeah..."_ she replies hesitantly _. "Is that weird? Never mind, I know it's weird."_

_"It's not weird. If you don't like them, they probably suck anyway. I wish I knew where you were so that we could play together."_

_"I wish so too."_ But then they both feel it. The connection stops again, and it hurts even more than the first time.

 _"I love you,"_ Amy says to her soulmate, even though she knows he can't hear her. But love him she does.


	3. 3

The day Jake turns 10, he's in his room crying five minutes before guests are supposed to arrive as Gina tries to comfort him.

Why's Jake crying, you ask? Well, who else would be the source of his misery if not his lying father, Roger Peralta?

You see, a week leading up to Jake's first double digit birthday, his father had made promises to come on down for the party.

"It's your big One-O, Jake. Of course I'm coming for your birthday."

That phone call, that promise made to the young, trusting, and naive Jake, would go on to make the boy the most excited he'd ever been for an entire week. He was so happy he told his soulmate all about it, and talked incessantly about how he hadn't seen his dad since he left, and he couldn't wait for his birthday, and that he wished she could be there at his party too.

She didn't hear a thing, obviously. Or she did and Jake just couldn't hear her thoughts back. But it didn't matter that much to Jake that she couldn't hear him talk way too much about his dad back then. He would've seemed way too obsessed and un-chill.

What matters to Jake right now, is his soulmate hearing him, consoling him right after he gets told that his father had a last minute flight scheduled and couldn't come after all, fifteen minutes before the start of the party. This crushed Jake, and the last time Jake felt absolutely crushed, his soulmate had come through. He wishes for her to come through again, one more time. Whilst he's incredibly grateful that Gina, who is the best friend ever and doing a great job comforting him at the moment, he wants so badly to listen to his soulmate string a bunch of comforting words together. Loving words. Caring words.

Not that Gina wasn't being perfectly comforting and loving and caring at the moment, but there was just something about his soulmate that he craved. But no matter how hard Jake cries out to her, she doesn't respond.

However, although Jake didn't get to talk to his soulmate, that did not mean that Gina didn't get to talk to hers. In fact, this very moment was to be the first time Gina hears her soulmate's thoughts.

"Chin up, little pup." Gina tells Jake as he cries into his pillow. She gently pats him on the back and is secretly grateful that Jake chose to hug his pillow and not her. She was wearing her best dress after all, and no way in hell was she letting Jake 'Ruins Everything With His Snot' Peralta damage another one of her beautiful clothes, much less her favorite one.

"But..." Jake hiccups in between sobs. "He promised! He knows- he _knew_ how important this is to me. And he decided to bail?"

Gina sighs. Jake's dad really did suck. But helping Jake wallow in sadness wasn't the solution right now. "Come on, don't you wanna eat blue cake? Everyone's coming soon and- I heard Jenny Gildenhorn's coming. She told me she likes you, isn't that something you wanna get on? That's a sure thing for you right there."

Jake sat up. "I don't care about Jenny Gildenhorn. I have a soulmate! And I wanna talk to her so bad right now, but she's not here."

"Ugh, so what if you have a soulmate? I probably have one too, though they haven't said anything to me yet. Doesn't stop me from winking at Daniel Henderson when he checks me out in class."

Jake sighs. "I don't know. Even if I were to go out with Jenny Gildenhorn, who's to say she's not going to leave me too? Just like my dad, just like everyone?"

"Excuse me? Jake, I haven't left you, and I'm not going to."

And then she hears it.

_"Who's Jake?"_

Gina's at a loss for words, and it's a good thing Jake's started groaning into his pillow, because Gina figures she's about to become very distracted for the next few minutes.

_"Oh my god. It's you! You're my soulmate, aren't you?"_

_"Yeah, I guess. Is Jake like- your boyfriend?"_

Gina's response is laughter and horror, which she does not let manifest as actual words, because the last thing Jake would wanna hear right now would be her supposedly laughing at his misery.

_"Oh no no no- Jake's just a friend. Best friend, actually. Practically my brother. I'm just comforting him because his dad, who left him when he was seven and hasn't been back yet since, promised to come for his tenth birthday- which is starting in five minutes. His dad called to say he wasn't coming a while ago."_

_"Damn."_ Gina's soulmate replies. _"That really does suck."_

_"Yeah. So-"_

_"Shut up Ms Miriam!"_

Gina's confused. _"Wait, who's Ms Miriam? What did she say to you?"_

_"Oh- you heard that?"_

_"I can hear your thoughts, sweetie. That's sorta the deal about soulmates."_

Gina chuckles at her soulmate, who lets out some sort of exasperated sigh. She can tell it's out of affection though, and waits for her explanation.

_"Ms Miriam's my dance instructor. She's super hard on us and I hate her. She just told me to redo my pirouettes, for like the fifth time."_

Gina gasps inside her head _. "No way. Are you a dancer?"_

_"Yeah. I go to a dance academy."_

_"I love dancing! No wonder we're soulmates! I don't go to any dance schools but girl I'm telling you- I'm a miracle of movement."_

Gina hears her soulmate attempting to suppress chuckles and failing. The sounds of her soulmate's beautiful laughter calms Gina's fiery soul and soothes her until she feels their connection disappear. Gina's automatically filled with a sense of emptiness and she now completely understands every sappy, cheesy feeling Jake's told her he has for his soulmate.

"Oh my god Jake stop talking!"

Jake lifts his head up from his pillow. "What? I haven't said anything."

Gina heaves a sigh of relief. "Oh, good. Because if you did I wasn't listening. I just heard my soulmate for the first time!"

Jake sits up, any sadness instantly draining from his body as he transits into full Supportive And Excited Friend mode.

"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaat? No way. What happened?"

"She heard me talking to you! Things were a little weird at first because she thought you were my boyfriend, but then when we settled that I found out she's a dancer! Ballet, I think."

Jake's so happy for Gina he wraps her in a tight hug. "Goose, that's awesome! You live to dance- she's perfect for you."

"Okay I know Goose starts with G, just like Gina does- but Goose sounds nothing like Gina so it doesn't work as a nickname. Call me Jesus or something."

Jake just chuckles. "Are you in love with her yet?"

Gina shrugs. "All I know is that I don't wanna stop talking to her."

"Same," Jake agrees with a nod.

"And... Maybe I won't talk to Daniel Henderson ever again."

Gina actually does end up being one of those lucky people that for some reason can maintain thought connections with their soulmate almost daily. This is something Jake gets very jealous about, because the next time he hears from his soulmate is a year, or maybe two later.

 

* * *

 

To be more accurate, Jake hears his soulmate for the third time about a week after he discovers Die Hard- AKA The Best Cop Movie Ever Made, Arguably The Best Movie Ever Too.

He watches nothing but Die Hard for a week after he discovers it. He's got it bad for this movie, he knows that, so much so that Gina chooses to hang out at her own apartment watching movies and talking about them with her soulmate.

(Yeah, Gina's thought connection with her soulmate was so strong they could plan to watch movies at the same time and make snide comments to each other in their heads as they watched. It made Jake jealous to no end, and insecure about his and his soulmate's connection.)

"Jake, soulmate thought connections have nothing to do with compatibility. It's totally random. I guess the universe just loves me and wants me to have as many happy moments with my soulmate as I want before I even meet her- and the universe wants you to suffer as you're in love with the soulmate you're almost never allowed to speak to." Gina had reasoned.

Anyway, Jake had spent an hour telling his soulmate to watch Die Hard after he saw it for the first time- Die Hard would change her life, it was the best cop movie in the world, blah blah blah. She didn't respond though.

Jake was in the middle of his... fifth? Rewatch of Die Hard? When he hears her.

_"FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, WILL YOU STOP THINKING ABOUT DIE HARD?"_

Jake's very taken aback by this, his heart shrinks a little at her anger yet he's happy too to finally hear from her. It's a weird mix of conflicting emotions. Multitudes of confused and insecure thoughts flit in and out of his mind.

" _Oh crap, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sound that angry and there's nothing wrong with you liking a movie. I feel horrible."_

Jake takes a deep breath. _"It's been a while."_

 _"It has,"_ She fires back immediately _. "For you. As for me, I've heard you talk about Die Hard, and quote Die Hard to me for the past week. I haven't seen the movie yet but I'm sure I've got the plot memorized by now."_

 _"You still haven't seen Die Hard?!"_ He gasps and this makes his soulmate chuckle a little. It's nice, being able to make her laugh _. "Wait, sorry. Not the point. You've been able to hear me for the past week? Have you ever heard one-sided thoughts from me before?"_

_"Before this? No, I haven't. And to answer your first question, I'm not allowed to watch Die Hard. I'm like, what- nine years old? Don't they say bad words in that movie?"_

_"Yeah, haha. Which is what makes this movie so awesome! Also- you're nine? I had no idea you were so young."_

She immediately seems uncomfortable. _"Wait, you're not like super old or anything right?"_

Jake chuckles. _"Oh no, I'm like, eleven. I'm two years older than you. Which makes me super wise, not super old. So you should watch Die Hard."_

He swears he can literally feel her roll her eyes in response. _"I'm not allowed! How were you even allowed?"_

_"No one allowed me to do anything. There's barely any adults around here half the time."_

His soulmate falls silent for a bit. " _I'm sorry about that."_

_"Don't be. Actually- do be. Just secretly watch Die Hard and I'll feel a lot better. I know I may have annoyed you by filling your head with nothing but thoughts of this movie for the past week, but actually watch this movie and you'll see what I'm getting at."_

She snorts and heck, even that's cute. Jake shakes his head at himself.

_"Look, again, I'm sorry the first thing you heard from me after practical radio silence for the past two years was me snapping at you. But I swear it's me, not you."_

Jake chortles for a bit _. "Sounds like you're breaking up with me."_

_"I swear- that is the last thing I want to do."_

Jake's filled with a sense of warmth and the knowledge that he's blushing incredibly hard. He tries to ignore it so he can continue communicating with his soulmate _. "So... what's gotten you so riled up if it's not me?"_

Amy groans. _"I have exams coming up next week."_

Jake chuckles. By now and despite their brief and rare encounters, he knows his soulmate's a sort of bookish, intelligent type. He imagines his soulmate as a cute geek-ish girl who probably makes adorable faces of concentration as she looks at all her books. _"I wouldn't sweat it if I were you. You're probably a genius. A mad, evil genius that's going to take over the world. And when we meet I'll be your hot sidekick. That takes out your enemies for you."_

_"As sweet as you calling me a genius is- I have to 'sweat it'. I skipped the fourth grade-"_

_"YOU SKIPPED THE FOURTH GRADE?!"_

She giggles at his shock. " _Yeah, I'm in fifth grade now. Jumped from third grade to fifth grade. Which is why I gotta study doubly hard and do super well."_

_"You skipped the fourth grade- you'll study one year less than the rest of us! You'll escape from the clutches of school earlier! Is that why people choose to study and do well in tests and exams?!"_

_"Maybe. Although I don't want to escape school. The academic part of school at least. I love doing book reports and solving math problems and scoring 'A's on tests. Also as nice as being an evil genius taking over the world is- that's not what I want to be when I grow up."_

Jake refrains from telling Amy that he thinks the stuff she's said about school might be the craziest things he's ever heard. Because what's even crazier is how deep down he wants to study a little harder at school because of her. Instead he asks a question he truly is kind of curious to know the answer to.

_"What do you wanna be when you grow up?"_

_"A cop. More specifically, I want to become a police captain one day."_

Jake nearly died. This. This is definitely why they're soulmates. _"ME TOO! I wanna be a cop. Just like John McClane. I want to be a hero, single-handedly saving the day. And also maybe a detective. I think puzzles are cool."_

_"I want to be a detective too! Just like my dad. I hope we get to be partners one day. Partners in solving crime. That would be nice."_

Jake smiles at the thought. _"I want that too. It's so cool that your dad's a cop! Wait- if you wanna be a cop, why are you studying so hard? I mean, most of what we have to be good at is using a gun and telling people they're under arrest. I'm pretty good with guns by the way. My granddad taught me to shoot chess and backgammon. I never miss."_

She's very confused by this. _"As impressed as I am- how does one shoot chess and backgammon?"_

_Jake shrugs. "I don't know. Anyway- I'll try to keep the Die Hard thoughts to a minimum so you can study hard for your tests and stuff. Skip the sixth grade too if you can. I'm in the sixth grade and I can guarantee you that it sucks. Actually, I say that about every grade. Never mind, ignore me. There's no pressure."_

_"No, don't lay off. I mean, I don't want our connection to stop, and if it means I'll have to hear you talk about Die Hard for most of the day, then so be it. I mean... talking to you just, calms me, y'know? I was so stressed earlier, I've been stressed for months, maybe even the entire school year- but just by talking to you that all somehow fades away."_

Jake's heart feels so full. So full he doesn't realize that it's gone completely silent again.

"No! Come back!" He yells out loud, even though no one can hear him. Okay, maybe all the neighbors can hear him, but he wants her to hear him. Just her.

For almost two entire years after that, Jake can't bring himself to watch Die Hard because of how he associates it with happiness yet utter heartbreak.

 


	4. 4

The fourth time Jake and Amy talk- no, _communicate telepathically,_ it's been seven years.

Yeah, _seven years_ since they last heard each other. The funny thing this time around is, they hear each other's thoughts at the same time, and respond at the same time too.

 _"Why are they closing down the planetarium?"_ Amy thinks in tears.

 _"I can't believe I just pantsed the coach of the New York Knicks!"_ Jake thinks exasperatedly, drowning in embarrassment.

 _"Oh no- you love that place!"_ Jake groans in response, hating the sound of his soulmate's misery.

 _"Wait- you pantsed the coach of the New York Knicks?!"_ Amy stops crying over her beloved and doomed planetarium to laugh at what she just heard her soulmate think. She really, _really_ can't wait to meet him.

They both freeze. Jake and Amy have heard ample one-sided thoughts from each other over the years, but this is the first time in ages that they've heard any response.

 _"Oh my god. It's- you're finally-"_ Jake's so emotional about this he starts getting all choked up. Amy feels herself almost about to cry again, but this time it's not about the planetarium.

 _"I've missed you. So much. Like you wouldn't believe."_ Jake tells his soulmate desperately, because his time with her really is tight, and neither of them know how long their connection might last this time, and when the next time they talk may be.

 _"I've missed you too."_ Amy replies with complete certainty, and there's this warm, fuzzy feeling in her chest. She doesn't think she feels this way when she talks to anyone else, which is really saying something given that she hasn't actually talked to her soulmate before, face to face. But then again, he _is_ her soulmate for a reason. And she loves how he makes her feel.

 _"So what happened to your planetarium?"_ Jake asks because he really is concerned.

 _"I think I want to talk about you pantsing the coach of the New York Knicks more,"_ Amy deflects, and then she's laughing again. Jake hums in delight at the sound of her laughter. Oh, how he's missed that sound.

_"Except I didn't cry when I pantsed him-"_

_"You sure you didn't cry?"_ Amy teases, and Jake can't help smiling, because it's her and he's- he's in love. He's got it so bad for her, he really does.

This isn't the first time Jake realizes he's in love with his soulmate of course. He knows he's supposed to be, but it's still overwhelming yet amazing to find himself falling deeper and deeper in love with this girl, as much as he has over the years. He can't wait to fall in even more love with her, if that's even possible.

_"Fine, maybe I teared a little. But no laughing at my pathetic life until I make you feel better. So why are they shutting down that planetarium of yours? You love going there."_

Amy smiles to herself, that warm fuzzy feeling in her chest growing bigger and she knows that affection for him- it's love. _"How did you know I love the planetarium so much?"_

_"I heard a bunch of your thoughts over the years. As much as it sucked not getting to talk to you- it was nice hearing you spazz about how much you love that planetarium. Amongst other things. This sounds kinda creepy but I love your thoughts. Each and every one of them."_

Amy's blushing. _"I... heard your thoughts too, over the years. And it was so nice- but talking to you is nicer. And yeah, the planetarium is the best and I can't believe they're shutting it down. Not enough funding or something. It hurts because of all the memories I made here. I spent eleven straight birthdays at the planetarium."_

_"YOU SPENT ELEVEN STRAIGHT BIRTHDAYS AT THE PLANETARIUM?!"_

Amy giggles nervously at Jake's explosive reaction.

_"I know, that's like- super nerdy. I'm sorry."_

_"What? No- no, don't apologize for that. If anything- it's cute. And relatable. If there were some Die Hard museum I could go to I'd spend eleven straight birthdays there too. If you're a nerd, I'm a nerd. We'll be nerds together. I mean, different nerds, because I am definitely not as good at school stuff as you are. Have you skipped any more grades since we last talked?"_

Amy wants to hug her soulmate, so so badly, for being the best soulmate ever. She also wants to kiss him real bad, but that's another story.

_"No, I haven't. Also- I heard your thoughts when you watched Die Hard 2 and 3. They made me laugh. Got me through some stressful studying sessions."_

Jake snorts at this, recalling what extreme thoughts he had, and how it's kind of embarrassing that his soulmate knows. But at least she's not shunning him, so there's that.

_"Oops. Busted. But seriously- don't feel so bad about the planetarium getting shut down. I know it's gotta be your favorite- but there'll be other planetariums for you to go to and fall in love with. I'll go with you too, when we finally meet. If you want. We can hold hands and you can tell me all the cool space stuff you know."_

And then Amy's crying again, because no one's ever made her such a sweet promise. Of course, no one could make her yearn for such things other than her soulmate. He had this hold on her heart, and Amy felt like such a cliche. But what her soulmate said worked- she was no longer as upset about her favorite planetarium getting shut down. Because whatever future memories she was to make with her soulmate at some other planetarium felt so much sweeter.

 _"I'd love that."_ Amy tells him, and from her soulmate's relieved sigh she knows she took too long to formulate a coherent enough thought for him to hear. Telling her all that, offering her a piece of his heart, a part in his future- although they were soulmates this was still definitely a big step to take and he had really put himself out there.

 _"But in exchange for going to the planetarium you're definitely going to make me watch all the Die Hard movies, aren't you?"_ Amy teases to bring the subject down to a lighter note.

Jake gasps. _"YOU STILL HAVEN'T SEEN DIE HARD?!"_

Amy doubles over with laughter, and she doesn't think she'll ever get bored with her soulmate around.

_"I'm still technically not old enough to watch it! I'm like sixteen and- Die Hard's an M18 movie!"_

_"Can't you just watch it secretly like I told you to- years ago?"_

_"No!"_ Amy exclaims in disbelief.

Jake sighs. _"Fine, you get a pass for now you goodie-two-shoes. But the moment you turn eighteen that better be the first thing on your to-do list!"_

Amy shakes with laughter. _"No! I'm not doing that!"_

_"Why not?! Do you not trust my judgement? This is the best movie ever!"_

_"Your judgement?"_ Amy snickers incredulously. _"Didn't you just pants the coach of the New York Knicks?"_

_"Hey, that's not fair! I thought you'd have forgotten about that."_

Amy grins to herself. _"How could I forget something you did to embarrass yourself? Tell me- is this the only coach you've ever pantsed? Follow-up question: Have you pantsed any other players of the New York Knicks?"_

Jake sighs and it makes his soulmate giggle to no end. He supposes that's the saving grace of this humiliating situation. Her amusement. _"Five... including coaches... All from the New York Knicks."_

Amy can't stop laughing. It seems to be a common problem she suffers with when her soulmate speaks. _"This is the best thing I've heard all day."_

_"Well, I'm glad you're happy but- you're avoiding the question! Why are you refusing to watch Die Hard, the best cop movie ever that saved my life and countless others?! Do you not want to get inspired?"_

_"Get inspired? By Die Hard?"_ Amy shakes her head. _"Okay but consider this- what if I want my first time watching Die Hard to be with you?"_

_"You're not getting away with this by sucking up to me! And using that sweet, low voice of yours. You know I have it bad for your voice!"_

Jake's soulmate's voice had changed over the years, obviously. It was no longer as high pitched, but it was just as mesmerizing to Jake as always. And just as pretty. In fact, he fell in love with her voice even more as the years went by. Oh, that gorgeous voice. Someday it would be the death of him. He had a feeling that day was today, and he had a feeling that that moment was _soon._

 _"Actually- I didn't know."_ Amy smirks, and begins to lay it on thick. _"You like my voice, sweetie?"_

She says this very seductively and Jake's pretty sure he can't feel his legs anymore. _"Damn, I shouldn't have said anything. Gave you too much ammo."_

Amy chuckles. _"If it's any consolation- I like your voice too."_

And it was true. Amy appreciated how her soulmate's voice had come along, all thanks to the helpful hands of puberty.

 _"Oh? Huh..."_ Jake considers this appreciatively, feeling himself heat up with excitement that she felt the same appreciation for his voice as he did for hers. He lowers his voice several octaves for his next thought. _"Glad you think so, beautiful."_

Amy shudders at the sound of his voice. It's super hot and she realizes telling him she likes his voice only for him to make his voice ten times more sexy probably wasn't a good idea. Or it was a _fantastic_ idea, Amy can't decide.

She can't let him have the upper hand though, so she puts herself back together and gets her voice as hot as possible.

_"Anyway- we'd be cuddling on a couch under a warm blanket... Die Hard would be playing on the tv screen, the only light in the pitch dark room..."_

Jake's breath hitches. _"Oh my god, you're totally getting away with this."_

_"We would be making out-"_

_"Oh wow, my first kiss. And come on, Die Hard is too awesome to make out during. We'll be too focused on how cool the movie is."_

_"Wait- so you... haven't had your first kiss?"_

Jake gulps nervously. Oops. Him and his stupid big mouth! Or is it big mind- since he didn't actually say anything out loud?

" _No."_ He answers honestly, because no point lying right? Any opportunity he had over the years to kiss anyone he shunned because it just always felt like cheating somehow. And also no matter who offered their lips Jake never felt tempted because in his heart he knew there was only one person he wanted to kiss, and he hasn't met her yet. _"Have you?"_

_"What? Oh, no. Me neither."_

Jake doesn't exactly buy this, because he recalls a particular thought he heard Amy think of about a year back.

_"David Lewinsky wants to kiss me?!"_

This had made Jake bitterly confused and jealous and in want of answers for days- because he needed to know what had happened. Who was this boy who was not him that wanted to kiss his soulmate? Did his soulmate kiss that boy? Did she _want_ to? Jake eventually made himself forget about the whole thing by telling himself he had no say in who his soulmate kissed and who she wanted to be with in the end. She could choose not to be with him, no matter how much it'd break his heart.

But now she was here, and he wanted to ask.

_"Look- I believe you and all, and I want you to know that it's totally okay if you've kissed anyone. And... I guess you don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to. But I have to ask- who's David Lewinsky?"_

Amy sighs. _"You heard something a while ago, didn't you?"_

_"Yeah, I did. Is he... your boyfriend?"_

_"WHAT? Oh, no- hell no. You see, about a year ago, I invited some kids from class to my birthday party. As usual, it was at the planetarium."_

_"No doubt about that."_

_"And David was this kid in my class who agreed to come. He kept sticking close to me during the party, and telling me how pretty I was. Y'know, typical desperate fifteen year old boy."_

_"I'm sure you're super pretty and I'm most definitely the luckiest dude on the planet to get someone like you as a soulmate- but David's an ass and I would like to punch him if I could."_

Amy giggles. _"You're so sweet. Anyway- that's when I found out David wanted to kiss me. Because he flat out said 'I want to kiss you.'. I was really freaked out by that, that's probably when you heard my thoughts."_

_"He didn't... do anything did he?"_

_"Other than lean in and try to kiss me? Nope. But what I'm trying to say is- although he tried to kiss me, I moved at the last second so he only got my cheek. So no, I haven't had my first kiss. Because... I want my first kiss to be you."_

Jake's cheeks feel impossibly hot because of Amy's confession. He feels incredibly special, and he also feels the same way. _"Me too. I'll make it a good one. Maybe we'll kiss in a planetarium to replace that awful shit that dude tried to pull on you. Or we could kiss somewhere else if you want, like-"_

_"Like when we're watching Die Hard. I wanna be able to say that I was the girl who managed to distract you from Die Hard."_

Jake nearly scoffs at this, taking the chance to tease her. _"Oh, please. You're great and all, but nothing can distract me from Die Hard."_

Amy takes this as a personal challenge. _"Oh yeah? Fine, if kissing doesn't work then I guess I'll just have to start suc-"_

_"WOAH WOAH WOAH SLOW YOUR ROLL THERE! WE ARE NOT! GOING THERE!"_

Amy's laughing so hard at her soulmate's explosive reaction that her ribs feel as if they're splitting at her sides. _"Why not?"_

_"BECAUSE IT'S ILLEGAL. You are sixteen years old, which makes it illegal for me- an eighteen year old, to have any... designs on you."_

Amy isn't sure whether to roll her eyes or continue laughing. She feels like his sexy voice and her sexy voice were dirtier than what she was about to suggest, but to each their own, she guesses. _"Oh- so it's okay for you to ask me to secretly watch Die Hard; something that is ILLEGAL for someone of my age to view, but I talk about wanting to s-"_

_"I COULD GO TO JAIL FOR THIS DON'T DO THIS TO ME."_

_"Go to jail how?! For having thoughts in your head? Lots of people would be thrown behind bars then."_

_"Fine, you have a point. But can we skip the dirty talk till after you turn eighteen? I know you're a super horny teenager right now, and there's nothing wrong with that and all- but it would be a lot easier on my conscience to not have to label myself as a ped-"_

_"OH FOR CHRIST'S SAKE YOU'RE ONLY TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME! And you're a teenager too!"_

Jake finally cracks and laughs. _"Okay, okay. But for what it's worth- I guess if anyone were to distract me from Die Hard, no matter how dirty the method, it would be you."_

Amy cracks a smile. _"That's so sweet."_

 _"I... I love you._ " He says, and for the very first time she gets to hear it. And it's beautiful. Her eyes are burning already as they quickly fill up and overflow with tears.

 _"I love you too."_ She tells him, and Jake swears on his mother's future grave, he's never felt happier in his life before this moment.

_"I don't think I'll be able to wait until we watch Die Hard together to kiss you for the first time." He admits._

_"I guess we'll have to rush to the nearest place showing Die Hard once we meet then,"_ and Jake laughs because there's just something so perfect about her, and he once again loves how lucky he is.

_"Would it... be okay if I kissed you immediately when we first meet?"_

Sadly though, Jake doesn't hear his soulmate's response because the universe chooses that exact moment to be an asshole and sever their connection.

Thankfully, the next time Jake and Amy talk to each other is not seven years later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this gave you all feels
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos and comments so far ah!!!!


	5. 5

When Jake turns twenty, he signs up for the academy, bright and fresh-faced, ready to achieve his dreams of becoming a cop.

On his first day, he meets Rosa Diaz. She's quiet, and constantly looks like she doesn't want to be wherever she is. When she does talk, however, it's usually to issue threats and her words drive fear into the hearts of many she speaks to.

Jake thinks she's the _coolest_. And thus he makes it a personal mission to try and become friends with her.

It doesn't really work, at first. There's sadly way more guys than there are girls in the academy during their training program, and annoyingly a ton of dudes hit on Rosa. Jake tries to speak up for her to get them to back off, but she mistakes that as romantic interest on his part too, and tells _him_ to back off. He does- in retrospect, he should've known Rosa could stand up for herself anyway.

Especially after seeing her punch a total of _five_ dudes within her first week at the academy. Holy cow, that makes Jake _very_ certain that Rosa Diaz is completely capable of handling herself.

Also, unrelated but Jake could strive and toil all his life and still never be even half as cool as Rosa.

It's two weeks into the academy when Jake finally finds something he can bond over with Rosa.

Their commanding officer's just finished doling out what must be the millionth punishment for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Jake wants to become a cop and would stop at nothing- but drills are the _worst_.

"Come on now- this is like what? Our thousandth push-up?" He groans as he gets back on the ground.

Rosa shoots him a weird look. "We've only done twenty."

Jake looks at her incredulously. "Twenty?!"

She snorts. "Have you not been counting?"

"No," Jake replies as they both start doing push-ups. "I just kinda stop when everyone else stops. We've only done _twenty_?"

"Counting's not that hard dude, but I get it. Drills suck."

Jake nearly cheers when she agrees. All the other recruits they train with are for some strange reason obsessed with drills. Disgustingly, he knows some of them are actually doing it to impress Rosa. Or to be more accurate, _over_ doing it.

"Finally! Someone agrees!" They finish their extra twenty push-ups, making the total number of push-ups done that day forty. "Drills _suck_!"

Jake says that... way too loudly. So loudly that their annoying commanding officer overhears him.

"Peralta! You hate drills so much, huh? Give me a thousand push-ups!"

Rosa grins at him as Jake groans and gets down on the ground, yet again.

"Seriously? Why would anyone force anyone else to do something they knew they hated?" Jake whispers angrily to himself. He hears Rosa laughing slightly to herself when the unthinkable happens.

"Sir, I hate drills too. Drills can kiss my ass, and so can you." Jake stops doing his push-ups to look up at Rosa with a mix of amazement and horror.

Their commanding officer looks pissed, and rightfully so. "What is with you all today? Diaz- you just bought yourself a one-way ticket to a thousand push-ups along with Peralta. No leaving this room until the both of you are done."

Their commanding officer then proceeds to file out, prompting the others to move in order to avoid suffering a similar fate.

Rosa only looks amused as she gets down on the ground next to Jake and does push-ups along with him.

"Um, no offense Rosa but- _what the hell were you thinking?!_ " He whispers in disbelief between push-ups.

"Just trust me. A thousand push-ups." She says that like a promise, and Jake feels as if it's the beginning of a new era. The forming of a pact.

"Okay." He says. They continue to do push-ups in silence until everyone leaves the room.

Which is when Rosa stops doing push-ups. Jake exhales a sigh of realization.

"Great idea- there're no cameras here, we'll just _tell_ them we did the push-ups!"

Rosa smirks as she shuts the door, making sure no one walks in and catches them slacking off.

"Glad you caught on."

Jake lifts himself up into a sitting position.

"But honestly- why'd you get punished with me? I mean- you could've just told me to stop doing push-ups when the others left, there was no need to get yourself in any trouble."

Rosa sits next to him and seems to heave a sort of sigh.

"Figured I owed you an apology."

"You're _sorry_?" Jake takes this with such a note of shock that Rosa rolls her eyes. "What for?"

"I thought you were like the rest of them. The same desperate dudes who fall over themselves here trying to impress me."

Jake chuckles. "I know- those dudes are disgusting, and honestly watching them's just painful."

"Yeah, so you get it. You don't... stare at me like I'm a piece of meat-" Jake grimaces inwardly at this. He feels horrible for Rosa, and the grossness of the other dudes in the academy with them increases tenfold at her statement. "You're not creepy, you're not disgusting, you're not weird-" She seems to consider this for a second. "Okay well, you _are_ weird-"

"Hey!"

"Point is, you're not like the rest of them, but I treated you like all the others anyway. So I'm sorry."

Jake offers Rosa a sincere smile, then shakes his head.

"Apology not accepted."

" _What_?"

"-because I don't even _deserve_ one." Jake finishes quickly to avoid being murdered.

Which works in calming Rosa down significantly.

"I mean- me not being a creep isn't doing you favor. It's just called being decent."

Rosa sighs and he can tell she's appreciative of this almost to the point of laughter.

"You're a good dude, Jake."

He shrugs. "It's the basic respect you deserve. And- I kind of already have a soulmate I'm in love with, so I wouldn't hit on you even if I wanted to."

"You met your soulmate yet?"

Jake's expression falters at this. "No. But I know she's got the most gorgeous voice. And she's the most adorable nerd I've met that I haven't actually met. Sometimes I feel like if we got to talk more we would've met by now."

Rosa chuckles at this. "I talk to my soulmate every damn day. Still haven't met her."

Jake turns to look at Rosa, surprised she's chosen to reveal this side of herself. "You love her yet?"

Rosa inhales hesitantly at this. "Like crazy. She hates that all these dudes at the academy hit on me, says she wishes she could give all of them hard slaps or punches."

Jake exhales with a smile. "They'd deserve it. And I swear- people like you who get to talk to their soulmates every day are super lucky. My best friend Gina talks to her soulmate every day too, and I'm hella jealous of that. Last time I talked to my soulmate she wasn't even _legal_ yet."

For some strange reason, Rosa's hit with a strange desire to find out more about this best friend of Jake's, feels so very drawn to her somehow.

"Your friend Gina... she in the academy?"

Jake shakes his head. "Nah. She's a dancer. So's her soulmate, apparently. It's cute how they're both into the same thing- my soulmate and I both wanna be cops too-"

 _"I need to hear her voice."_ Rosa interrupts insistently, catching Jake by surprise.

"Wait, wha-"

"Do you have a video of her talking? Any voicemails?" She's grabbing Jake by his shoulders right now, and he's quickly putting two and two together.

"Wait, you think Gina's your- _oh my god are you a dancer?"_

He puts the _wrong_ two and two together though, of course.

Rosa rolls her eyes. "Jake, I _swear_ , if you don't get me-"

"Okay, okay fine!" He holds up his hands in defense. "I have a few voicemails from her on my phone, but we have to go to my locker to get it."

Rosa heaves a strangled sigh and pulls Jake up a bit too quickly. Jake secretly massages his wrist because Rosa is _crazy_ strong.

"Lead the way."

Jake and Rosa make their way to his locker, ignoring the looks they get from their fellow recruits who know they definitely have not done a thousand push-ups yet. Rosa because she doesn't care, Jake because he's much more scared of Rosa than he is of any possible consequence should they get caught.

"Oh, new voicemail." He says as he unlocks his phone. Rosa quickly snatches his phone away from Jake to get a good listen.

_"Jakester! Get us some Chinese when you're done with cop school, yeah? Plus six new bottles of nail polish. Oh- and also can you pick up my dry cleaning? Make sure they've got the hot sauce off my leotard this time-"_

Rosa clicks Jake's phone shut, because tears are running down her face.

"Are... are you okay?" Jake asks, and he's not sure if he wants to know the answer, because Rosa looks so torn up.

"It's _her_ ," Rosa says in between sobs. She's crying tears of joy, Jake now realizes, and he smiles wider than ever because he's really happy about this too. "I've finally found her."

 

* * *

 

Within the next few hours, Jake arranges Rosa and Gina's meeting; his best friend's over the moon when she finds out the news, and she rushes over to the bar where Jake says he'll be waiting- with her soulmate.

"Gina!" Rosa yells when she spots her at the door, her eyes already perfectly trained to find her after seeing a few pictures Jake has of Gina. Gina spins around desperately in recognition of Rosa's voice, and then the two girls sprint towards each other, not caring who they bump into in the process at the unfortunately crowded bar.

They throw themselves into a tight hug, and Jake awws as he snaps pictures; he knows Gina would want mementos.

Of course- the hug doesn't last more than two seconds and soon Gina and Rosa are making out and leaving the bar without so much as a 'goodbye' to Jake.

But he can't even find it in himself to blame or resent them for that.

 

* * *

 

Over the next six months of the training program, Gina finds a way to hang out at the academy with Jake and Rosa, and spends a majority of their free time sitting in Rosa's lap.

One day however, they stop making out to ask him a question.

"Wanna be our best man?"

Jake's floored by this.

"Um, duh? You don't even have to ask! I'm so happy for you two!"

Gina chuckles as she hugs Jake and he plants a kiss on her forehead.

"We don't want anything big, so technically you're our witness."

Jake's still ecstatic, and holds up his arms in a huge shrug.

"Even better! I can't believe this is finally happening- when'd you two decide? Who proposed?"

They shrug in response.

"We were drunk and woke up with cheap matching rings." Rosa casually explains, but she seems happier than Jake's ever seen her.

"That's... awesome!" He chuckles.

The wedding happens a few hours later, and Jake tears up as he sees Gina and Rosa walk down the aisle in City Hall, watching them profess their love to each other.

He can't help but feel... a bit jealous. He's happy as hell, don't get him wrong, but it hits him that he wants this so badly too.

_"Why can't I have that with her?"_

_"With who?"_

Jake's so thoroughly _overwhelmed_  by finally hearing from her again that he has to sit down, but there's no chairs where he's standing so he ends up just collapsing into a heap on the floor.

_"Oh my god, I've missed you so much."_

He can tell his soulmate's equally taken aback that he can hear her again, finally. It's been far too long.

_"I've missed you so much too but- who are you talking about?"_

Jake rolls his eyes because who else would he be talking about? He decides to tease her a bit anyway.

_"Oh, you caught me thinking about how I wanted this girl. She's just the most beautiful girl in the world, she's so breathtaking."_

Jake can really sense his soulmate's jealousy, and it's taking everything he can to keep up the ruse.

_"Oh, is she? And what do you want to 'have' with her, exactly?"_

She's angry, really angry, and Jake feels just a teensy bit horrible for enjoying this a little.

_"Oh, I wanna marry her. I'm at this wedding right now, and I just really wanna marry her, because she's the most gorgeous person to exist on this planet."_

_"Well, if you like her so much, why don't you just marry her then!"_

_"I can't do that, sadly. I haven't met her yet."_

His soulmate begins to put two and two together, and Jake smiles to himself because she's just so gullible and sweet and he loves her so much.

_"I hate you so much right now!"_

He chuckles. _"It's too bad I love you so much then."_

 _"You tricked me!"_ She takes a deep breath, and Jake hears her sniffle. This makes him feel horribly guilty. He hates to hear her cry, let alone _make_ her cry. _"You made me cry."_

_"I'm really sorry. So sorry. But who else could I be talking about if not you?"_

She's hyperventilating slightly, and Jake just feels horrible. He's an idiot.

_"I don't know, maybe you fell in love with someone else- and how could you know I'm the most beautiful person on earth if you haven't even met me yet?!"_

Jake exhales in disbelief. _"I could never fall in love with someone who's not you, not even if I tried. And I don't need to know how you look like to know without a doubt that when I do meet you, nothing in this world will compare."_

She's crying again.

_"I'm so sorry, that was a horrible trick to play on you, I'm an asshole."_

_"No, I'm crying now because you're the best thing that's ever happened to me. You really love me so much? And you really didn't meet someone else?"_

Jake sighs, because she's the best thing that's ever happened to him too.

_"Of course I do, and of course I didn't. But I am at a wedding right now, that part's true."_

_"Oh, who's getting married?"_ She asks.

_"My best friend Gina and her soulmate, Rosa. Rosa's my best friend at the academy. I helped them find each other."_

_"That's beautiful. You're in the academy right now? That's great! I'm still in college, but I'm thinking of signing up for the academy soon."_

_"Yeah, I'm so happy for them. But I'm also super jealous, because I want... what they have- for us too."_

She gulps. _"You wanna marry me?"_

_"Is that okay?"_

_"It's very okay. I want to be with you forever, and I also love signing contractually binding agreements. It's a double win."_

Jake laughs. _"You're the cutest. When will I get to meet you?"_

She sighs. _"Believe me, I want to meet you too."_

_"I want so much with you. I want to talk to you every day, I want to share every meal with you, and watch you cringe at my destructive eating habits. I want to tell you jokes and watch you laugh, I want to kiss you goodnight and fall asleep wrapped around you- I want to wake up with you by my side."_

And with that, Jake pours out his heart, and he's crying but it's not because of Gina and Rosa's wedding.

She's crying too. _"You also want me to watch Die Hard."_

He chuckles and falls in love with her again, somehow. _"You still haven't watched that?! But yeah, that too. I want everything with you."_

She laughs and the sound of it soothes his heart. _"I'm waiting for you to watch it, remember?"_

_"Yeah, I remember. How could I ever forget?"_

She takes a deep breath. _"Sometimes, when I'm in bed and trying to get to sleep it feels so empty. Like I'm missing something. I've always felt like I was missing something. I think I realized eventually that I was missing you. And- that's crazy, right? I haven't met you yet and I crave for you all the time. Your touch, your smile, the sound of your voice. My bed always feels so empty and it hurts so much knowing exactly what I need. I need you."_

Jake's a complete mess now, and he can't even pull himself together for his friends who are now walking towards him in confusion.

 _"I need you too."_ He says, but then she's gone and he knows the connection has once again been cruelly severed.

He's never felt more lonely.

 

* * *

 

"But I don't _need_ a partner Sarge, I work best alone. Heck, Stevie was probably holding me back from making an awesome, promotion-worthy arrest. I could've been a detective if not for his betraying ass!"

Jake's been a beat cop for a few years now, and his partner transferred to another precinct a few days ago. He had been promoted, and Jake was having problems coming to terms with it.

"Look Peralta- it doesn't matter if you're a beat cop or a detective. You need a partner! And you're _getting_ one. Officer Amy Santiago's just graduated from the academy, and from what I've heard she's got great potential."

Jake groans. "Ugh, you want me training a _rookie_? Isn't that below my pay grade?"

Terry shakes his head. "It's _exactly_ your pay grade. And an order from a superior officer. So no more complaining, got it?"

 

* * *

 

Amy's a bundle of nerves as she wades through the sea of blue in the Nine-Nine. She's supposed to find a Sergeant Terry Jeffords, and officially get introduced to her partner.

Amy's excited but she's also very, very nervous. It's her first day, and she's not sure where she's supposed to find Sergeant Jeffords. The Nine-Nine could really do with a more organized system. Right now, she's just very confused and walking around trying to find the courage to ask for directions. She's early, so she can definitely afford to march aimlessly in the lobby to think through every possible way this day could go wrong.

This day feels important though, and while it _is_ important- it being her first day as a cop and all- she feels as though it's more important than that. That there's something _more_ to all this, and that she's got to hang on to every single moment.

Finally, she finds out the correct floor of the building she's supposed to get to, and she climbs the stairs two at a time.

She doesn't start running once she reaches the correct floor, but she's also foolishly not looking where she's going when she bumps into this other beat cop, who's with this taller man not dressed in uniform.

She doesn't take much notice of the taller man who's possibly a superior officer though- because her breath's taken away by the beat cop she's just bumped into.

He's cute. _Very_ cute. The dress blues suit him well. He's weirdly attractive and Amy feels horribly guilty since she's in love and has a soulmate and all that- but at the same time it feels right and this guy is _hot_ , okay?

She's at a loss for words.

 

* * *

 

Jake's trying to formulate a list of reasons to convince Terry why it's a good idea to let him go solo when this other cop bumps into him. He wants to apologize for not looking where he's going but he's taken aback instead because Jake's plenty sure he's looking at the hottest girl- nay, the hottest _person_ that's ever walked into the Nine-Nine.

And crap, he can't breathe right now.

He thinks about his soulmate- he loves her, remember? And it doesn't matter how perfect this lady looks- he's supposed to be in love.

So he internally slaps himself and pulls himself together. He knows Terry's probably hella weirded out because he's been staring at this girl for an awkwardly long time.

But wait- she's been staring at him too. Is she interest- _wait_ , no. He's not supposed to _do_ this.

He gives himself one last lecture and composes himself. Surely he's not so weak that _one_ hot girl can break his undying devotion to his soulmate? The love of his life?

 _"I'm sorry."_ They both say at the same time, and then it's like some metaphorical glass has shattered and both of them realize what the hell has just happened.

They've found each other.

 

* * *

 

Suddenly, Jake and Amy are tearing up and Terry's never been more confused in his life.

"Um, Peralta? What's going on with the both of you?"

Jake and Amy can't move at the moment, nor can they bring themselves to explain just what the hell is going on.

They're just taking in this moment, letting themselves stare unashamedly at each other, and reveling in the bliss of having finally met each other.

"It's _you_." Jake finally manages to choke out, and Amy can't help but laugh because it's such a him thing to say.

"Yeah, it's me."

Terry finally puts two and two together, having watched one too many soulmate movies to not understand what's currently happening. He decides to give them some privacy.

"I'm going to leave you two to it." He taps Jake's shoulder gently and walks away, but he's sure Jake only notices his soulmate right now.

"I can't believe this is finally happening." Jake says to Amy and she nods readily.

"Me neither."

They've both dreamt of this moment, but nothing could be better than what's currently unfolding between the two of them.

Jake chuckles nervously. "I know this is a stupid time to ask and all but- I didn't catch your name. Y'know, since the universe never allowed us to communicate that and all."

She chuckles harder than she did before, and Jake's completely right in his assumptions that she looks absolutely gorgeous when she laughs. Her laugh is just as beautiful in real life as it had been hearing her through his mind, and if he's not wrong it's even more beautiful now.

"It's Amy."

"Nice to finally meet you, Amy. I'm Jake."

Amy wipes a stray tear from her eye. "Y'know, if this were a soulmate movie we'd be passionately making out right now."

"I'm not opposed to that, in case you're wondering."

Amy's a disgusting mess of possibly deranged laughter, and she knows how crazy she probably seems, but she doesn't care. Jake's so funny, and she's even more sensitive to his teasing humor in real life. She looks forward to a lifetime of cracking up at his jokes.

"Can I just say that I thought you were kind of hot and then felt bad because I thought I was betraying- well, _you_?"

Jake steps closer to her and sneaks an arm around her waist. Amy's breath hitches at his warmth, his hand tracing the small of her back. A rush of desire runs hotly down her spine as she thinks of what else those hands, those fingers could do to her.

"Well what a crazy coincidence then because I thought the same thing. Also I'm completely right- you're the most beautiful person in the world."

Amy flushes a deep pink because he's unfairly close to her now, his breath hot against her cheeks, making her skin crawl.

"I'm not the most beautiful person in the world, Jake." She says, and she herself knows she's just babbling and stupidly she's also stalling.

"Well, to me you are." His other hand snakes around her waist now, and Amy wishes they weren't in a precinct full of cops. She's not looking at anything but Jake but she's pretty sure people are staring.

"I guess I am then," she murmurs, because her brain isn't working and all she can think about is Jake and other inappropriate things also coincidentally involving Jake and she wishes she were smooth instead of a mess. Jake still chuckles though and she's calmed by that yet also melting because he has the most swoon-worthy smile.

"Can we start making out passionately like in all those soulmate movies now?" He suggests cheekily, and Amy just nods readily.

"Yes please," she says as if she's been waiting for him to initiate that, and if she's being honest she has been waiting and wanting for him to initiate that.

He pulls her in and she feels herself get pressed up against Jake and she nearly moans at the relief of feeling his lips against hers. She feels one of his hands slide up her back making her shiver in the most pleasurable of ways, and it gives her the confidence to put her arms around him too.

He feels very solid and it's not helping how attracted she is to him. It's almost unfair how the universe gave her a soulmate so deadly cute and hot.

This is her first kiss, and as far as she's concerned it's his first one too. Jake's an amazing kisser though, and Amy isn't sure if it's because he's a natural or she has no basis of comparison, but incredible sensations run through her with abandon as they kiss each other and Amy's heart hammers through her chest.

Finally, they pull apart unwillingly because sadly they're still humans who need air to survive.

"Wanna get outta here?" She asks sultrily as she catches her breath and Jake thinks he's never been more enticed to do something in his life, what with her swollen lips made slick because of him.

"More than anything," he replies as he takes Amy's hand and guides her to the lift. He leans down to whisper to her as they walk with their tightly intertwined fingers to get out of the crowded precinct. "If you're not my new partner, I'm sending in a complaint to the NYPD."

Amy smiles, and they find out later that he doesn't have to make any complaints to anyone.

Jake and Amy never feel empty or lonely again, and those cold dark thoughts they used to get in the dead of the night get replaced with a sense of completeness. They feel whole because they've found each other.

For each day of the rest of their lives, Jake and Amy are irrevocably happy, and never do they hear each other's thoughts again.

_But they're okay with that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the support you've all given to The Thought Of You!
> 
> Although I'm sad to announce that after this fic I'll be taking a break from writing to focus on school. A long break, say until December?


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